FC Barcelona dethroned Real Madrid to be named as the most valuable football team in the world. Forbes released its annual list of the world’s most valuable football clubs and, for the first time in 16 years, neither Premier League side Manchester United nor Real Madrid featured at the top of the standings.
Barcelona topped the Forbes list of the world’s 20 most valuable football teams for the first time, knocking Real Madrid to No.2. The football club is valued at $4.76 billion, nudging out Real Madrid at $4.75 billion.
FC Barcelona currently finds itself in a debt of over a billion due to the severe impact of the pandemic and mismanagement of resources from previous management. Wages of players account for 74% of the budget, while the short dept is close to €720 million (€186 million in amortisations and € 488 million in losses during 2019/20 season).
The average worth of the top 20 has increased by 30% from two years ago. The jump comes despite a decline in revenue caused by limited attendance during the pandemic.
THE TOP 10 MOST VALUABLE CLUBS IN THE WORLD
1. FC Barcelona
- Value: $4.76 billion
- Two-Year Change: 18%
- Revenue (2020): $792 million
- Operating Income (2020): $62.2 million
- Debt Value: 6%
2. Real Madrid
- Value: $4.75 billion
- Two-Year Change: 12%
- Revenue (2020): $792 million
- Operating Income (2020): $92 million
- Debt Value: 6%
3. Bayern Munich
- Value: $4.215 billion
- Two-Year Change: 39%
- Revenue (2020): $703 million
- Operating Income (2020): $49.2 million
- Debt Value: 0%
4. Manchester United
- Value: $4.2 billion
- Two-Year Change: 10%
- Revenue (2020): $643 million
- Operating Income (2020): $166.6 million
- Debt Value: 16%
5. Liverpool
- Value: $4.1 billion
- Two-Year Change: 88%
- Revenue (2020): $619 million
- Operating Income (2020): $61.9 million
- Debt Value: 2%
6. Manchester City
- Value: $4 billion
- Two-Year Change: 49%
- Revenue (2020): $609 million
- Operating Income (2020): -$2 million
- Debt Value: 0%
7. Chelsea
- Value: $3.2 billion
- Two-Year Change: 24%
- Revenue (2020): $520 million
- Operating Income (2020): $34.7 million
- Debt Value: 0%
8. Arsenal
- Value: $2.8 billion
- Two-Year Change: 23%
- Revenue (2020): $430 million
- Operating Income (2020): $47.3 million
- Debt Value: 7%
9. Paris Saint-Germain
- Value: $2.5 billion
- Two-Year Change: 129%
- Revenue (2020): $599 million
- Operating Income (2020): -$4.5 million
- Debt Value: 0%
10. Tottenham Hotspur
- Value: $2.3 billion
- Two-Year Change: 42%
- Revenue (2020): $494 million
- Operating Income: $134.2 million
- Debt Value: 39%